Sailor's Knots (Entire Collection) eBook

It was all done and over in a moment, and then, to
Ginger’s great surprise, Sam suddenly lifted
’is foot and gave ’im a fearful kick on
the shin of ’is leg, and at the same time let
drive with all his might in ’is face.
Ginger went down as if he ’ad been shot, and
as Peter went to ’elp him up he got a bang over
the ’cad that put ‘im alongside o’
Ginger, arter which Sam turned and trotted off down
the Hill like a dancing-bear.

[Illustration: “Let drive with all his
might in ’is face. “]

For ’arf a minute Ginger didn’t know where
’e was, and afore he found out the two men they’d
seen in the gateway came up, and one of ’em put
his knee in Ginger’s back and ’eld him,
while the other caught hold of his ’and and
dragged the purse out of it. Arter which they
both made off up the Hill as ’ard as they could
go, while Peter Russet in a faint voice called “Police!”
arter them.

He got up presently and helped Ginger up, and they
both stood there pitying themselves, and ’elping
each other to think of names to call Sam.

“Well, the money’s gorn, and it’s
’is own silly fault,” ses Ginger.
“But wotever ’appens, he mustn’t
know that we had a ’and in it, mind that.”

“He can starve for all I care,” ses Peter,
feeling his ’ead. “I won’t
lend ’im a ha’penny—­not a single,
blessed ha’penny.”

Peter ’ad one, too; but though they went into
the private bar, it wasn’t private enough for
them; and when the landlady asked Ginger who’d
been kissing ’im, he put ’is glass down
with a bang and walked straight off ’ome.

Sam ’adn’t turned up by the time they
got there, and pore Ginger took advantage of it to
put a little warm candle-grease on ’is bad leg.
Then he bathed ’is face very careful and ’elped
Peter bathe his ’ead. They ’ad just
finished when they heard Sam coming upstairs, and Ginger
sat down on ‘is bed and began to whistle, while
Peter took up a bit o’ newspaper and stood by
the candle reading it.